[Last updated: 05/02/18]
"Again, I feel that I must warn you all, that the story I have to tell is as full of tragedy and loss as it is long. Plus, it can get rather … intense." Mirajane nodded and continued in a reassuring voice, "It's alright, Jai. Unfortunately, most of the members of Fairy Tail are no strangers to stories of woe and loss. Yours isn't the first, and it most likely won't be the last. Go ahead, we're listening."
I laced my hands together on the table and sighed, billowing out my cheeks in my helmet, "Where do I begin? There's so much I need to say. But first of all, a few questions of my own, if you don't mind. By now, master Makarov has probably spread the story of how I'm a soldier from a far land, ship explosion ... the whole thing, right?" A few nods. "Well … what if I were to tell you that I'm not from some far off land, or from any part of this world altogether … but from another dimension entirely?" There were quite a few confused looks at me until Levy looked over to me with a squint. She breathed, "No … it can't be … Jai? Do the words 'Dimensional Travel magic' mean anything to you?" I nodded, "Yes. That's what the person who saved me and brought me over called it. I'll get to exactly who she is later on – at least to the extent of my knowledge – don't worry." Several heads were going back and forth from Levy and I with confused expressions; several people asked what that meant.
Levy opened up a large book in front of her, adjusted her glasses in an authoritative manner, and spoke up to fill the others in, "According to this, the magic that was used on Jai – called Dimensional Travel Magic – is a very old type of magic said to reach out into something called 'the multiverse' to bring objects or people over to our universe to study; specifically, knowledge sources. It was an idea originally thought up by a member of the magic council long ago … but, it hasn't been used since because the enormous strain of such a spell, when cast, usually costs the life of the caster; that little fact was found out rather quickly. For that reason, it simply fell out of use. However, Jai here, seems to be both the first instance of this magic used in … well, quite a long time, and the first recorded survivor of said magic. This is incredible!" I scratched the back of my neck absentmindedly, "Well, if it helps, I was inside a protective pod when the magic was performed. Also I should add that it wasn't just me … five others were with me when it happened; four of them would be the team I was leading, and one would be a friend of mine that we were sent to rescue. Mirajane and I already met one earlier, in fact. I'll get into that later, too." The room was muttering excitedly. Levy had stars in her eyes; she asked eagerly, "Jai? I have so much to ask you!" I laughed a bit, "Guys. That's why I'm here now. To tell you all about as much as I can." That calmed them down a little; Levy, however, still had a hopeful smile plastered on her face. I couldn't help but grin at her enthusiasm. 'She seems to love knowledge and information almost as much as you, Mira.' Mmmh … it seems so.
"First of all, a very important thing to note is that from where I come from – my universe – magic isn't anywhere near what it is here. What you have here is just … it's wondrous." Lucy was cleaning one of her keys with a cloth and a little bottle of oil; she looked up and paused before speaking with a thoughtful expression, "So … your magic was just weak then, right?" I shook my head, "No, sorry. I worded that badly. We have something that we called 'magic' that was practiced by those we called 'magicians'. We have stories eons old that tell of mages who wielded powerful magics – as well as their even more powerful intellects – in the services of their respective kingdoms; but, that's all they really are … stories. Fantasy. Tales told to children before bed. The magic I'm referring to … it's simply sleight of hand, tricks, and misdirection used to entertain people for credits; they were theatre. Magic was but a curiosity, nothing more. Before I came to Earthland, I had no magic."
Gray sat up and asked, "So … how is it that you are able to use magic then?" I thought for a second before I answered him, "Put simply, I was given it … this 'requip' magic. All I know is that hands were placed on my head – the fingers in specific places along my temple – which then glowed yellow. I don't know the details; I just know that I wasn't able to do it before it was gifted to me, and now I can. And it's so useful a technique to have, I'm actually still discovering uses for it." Erza nodded, "Indeed, it is a helpful kind of magic to have." I looked at her, a thought surfacing in my head, "When we have some time, I was actually thinking on asking you for pointers on it, if you don't mind, Erza. I have heard that you're proficient in its use." She looked at me curiously for a moment and nodded, "Of course, I'd be happy to help."
I continued on, "But while we're on the topic of my magic, I have another type of magic that I haven't yet had the opportunity to get used to, never mind hone. Mirajane saw a glimpse of it before we came in." Natsu leaned forward in interest and spoke up, "Oh? And what would that be?" I thought for a moment, trying to remember what she called it. "Perhaps it was something like, break, smash, crush … no, no … none of those. I think it was … Argh, what did she call it again? Great; now I'm forgetting shit. This is going to bother me all day, I know it." Levy made a thoughtful face and spoke up somewhat hesitantly, "Was it called … Crash magic, by any chance?" I made a palm and gently met it with a fist and nodded, "That was it! Crash magic!" I could hear Mirajane mutter, 'So that's what that was …'
This apparently surprised several people quite a bit, some even made small exclamations. "What, is this magic strange, or something?" Erza was the first to respond, "No, it's just that we have a member who is quite proficient in its use; he is one of the guild's strongest wizards. However, none of us has seen him in quite some time." I took a moment to memorize this fact for later, before moving on. "Ah. Well, unlike requip, it wasn't simply given to me. Apparently, I had it dormant within me; at least, that's my limited understanding of it." I then briefly detailed the process to which I 'awakened' my magic.
"You guys are really easy to talk to, thanks. Ever since I came here, I have kept pretty much to myself and haven't done very much in the way of socializing; you all have no doubt wondered at it by now much like Gray." I smiled, "You're all a friendly bunch, if a little rowdy. It actually reminds me of home, in a weird way. Up till recently, I thought it would be best if I kept a professional distance. However when I went up on that mountain with Lucy and Natsu to help Macao, what Natsu said during the fight … well, it took me a little while, but it made me realize that you're all not just a guild of work acquaintances or associates, but friends. Having had considerable time to reflect recently, I decided I should try to involve myself more in that regard … I need … No. I want to get to know you all better." Lucy asked, "Why were you trying to keep a distance from us? Did we do something wrong?" I shook my head in response. "No, no. You - you guys didn't do anything wrong." I was silent for a few seconds before continuing before sighing in frustration. "I'm sorry. This …" I gestured vaguely around me, "… is hard for me. Opening up … to people is … difficult. I – I don't have a lot of practice with it." Levy asked me why. I replied in a small voice, "It's because everyone I've ever opened up to … they … they die." I could feel my throat tighten up in emotion. I continued in a brittle voice, "My comrades, my friends, my family … dead; all dead." I could tell I had their attention now, if I didn't already.
I paused to clear my throat before I said, "You guys can tell I'm a soldier, right?" I shrugged slightly, "I mean, it's pretty obvious?" General nods all around. "I've known many good people in the years since I've started serving; associates, acquaintances, comrades, my fellow brothers and sisters in arms … but not many friends. Having someone I can truly call a friend isn't something I've had much experience with. Not for a long time." Natsu cleared his throat and spoke up, "Why not? Surely there were people you got along with, right?" I nodded, "There were indeed many I got along with well; you can even say I was great friends with some of them. A few were even assigned to the team I was in; but that wasn't necessarily a good thing." Confused, he asked, "What do you mean? Being teamed up with your friends is the best!" A few people even nodded in agreement, wearing similarly puzzled expressions. A long time ago, I would have agreed with him. Perhaps I can again; time will tell.
I paused for a moment to gather my thoughts before I turned to Mirajane and asked, "You have groups of mages you gather into teams in order to take on dangerous jobs, do you not?" Either by the careful tone in my voice or sensing what I was about to ask, she hesitantly nodded. In as gentle of a voice as I could muster, I asked , "Have any of them come back with a fallen member?" That sent the room muttering, Erza had to clap her hands to get them to quiet. I was receiving a few weird looks, and I couldn't exactly blame them. I raised my hands in a gesture of defense, "Please ... I know it must be a rather sensitive topic, but there is a point to the question. I wouldn't ask something like that otherwise." Mirajane thought for a moment in silence, I could tell I hit a nerve with her. Her normally cheery personality was nowhere to be found, now replaced by a somber and serious demeanor … she must have lost someone special as well. She sighed slightly and nodded, "Sadly, that is correct. Why do you ask?"
I took a moment to compose my thoughts, "Let's say for a moment that you have a team that goes out on a high-risk mission and loses a member. This hypothetical team mourns for the lost member, but eventually someone new comes along and joins, and life goes on. But … what happens when two members fall? Three members? … What happens when there's only one survivor left?" She thought for a second, a serious expression plain on her face as she mulled over her answer, "I suppose – after counseling – such a person would be given the choice to go their own way, in the guild or not, or to be grouped with another team." I nodded, "And the process continues on." Several people gasped at that. Levy clasped a hand over her mouth, "That's horrible!" I slowly nodded in agreement and solemnly said, "Yes. It is. My point in this is that such occurrences are sadly all too commonplace where I come from. I've had many friends, however none of them are left but me. Team after team, year in year out, I watched as each and every one of my friends and comrades – anyone I held close, really – fell by my side. In war, death is a given. The reality of it was if the person next to you dies, you pick up their weapon and fight twice as hard. Most of the people I've worked with react this way."
"I've seen the effect this much death has on some people first hand. I once knew a woman who was the most bubbly, compassionate person anyone ever met. She had a great personality; she befriended people almost as soon as she met them. Then one day, they were all caught in an ambush … her team fought valiantly, but in the end, they were outnumbered and they died; all of them but her. She somehow survived and made it back to the ship battered and shaking, and was taken care of. Soon enough, her second team followed the first. Eventually, she went out one day with her team – her fifth, if I'm not mistaken – and none of them returned. Of course, by that time, she had long since died as a person. I slowly watched as one of my best friends ... a woman I had known for a few years …" I trailed off for a moment. I cleared my throat and continued, "For the sake of my sanity, I eventually stopped getting to know those around me. That made their eventual deaths … easier to cope with, but not by much. That's why I haven't been … social. For the most part, it was habit. I guess … it was some kind of coping mechanism. I don't know."
Everyone by now wore serious expressions. Gray looked over to me, "Who were you fighting that there would be that much death?" Once more I hesitated, I wasn't quite sure how I should put all this. You're going great, Jai. Keep going. I nodded slightly and said, "I'll … I'll get to that. Just know for now that we were fighting a long, bloody, very costly war. We were fighting for our very survival as a species against overwhelming opposition."
Suddenly, Mirajane spoke up, "Can you tell us more of where you come from?" I blinked for a second, initially caught off guard by the question. I brightened up somewhat, grateful for the change in topic. "That I can, Mirajane. Although, a short question like that has a long answer; be prepared. Perhaps a visual display would help show you where I come from." I quickly consulted my holo-menu and summoned a small black briefcase and removed four holographic emitters and passed them around. "Please place these on the corners of the table." Mira quickly searched for the signals of the emitters, then slaved each one to my helmet computer.
"As for where I'm from, well … that will take quite a bit of explaining. I suppose the first thing I need to do is compare what I'm used to, to the situation I find myself in now. Inasmuch, the simplest way of going about it would be to broadly analyze the civilization and technology of Earthland on a wide scale, and then find which Technology Tier your civilization embodies the most, and work out from there. That should afford everyone present an appropriate sense of scale." Levy cleared her throat and asked, "What do you mean by 'technology tier'?" I put in a few commands and brought up the listings of the technology ranking system that the Forerunners, later on, the Covenant, and much more recently, Humanity, used.
"Good question, Levy. From the universe I come from, there are a host of alien species; Humanity is but one of them. As such, there is a system used to categorize the technological advancement of the different species into what are called technology tiers. The lower the Tier number, the more advanced the species' technology. It identifies different hallmarks of technological achievement and delineates different strata from the analysis. It's important to note that there could be great lengths of time – hundreds or perhaps even thousands of years between each individual tier. I can quickly run it through for you guys if you like?" Levy, who had a notebook and pencil in front of her, nodded, "Yes, please." It seems I need to keep an eye out for this one … she seems like a smart cookie. I looked around the room and everyone else seemed interested in further elaboration on the Technology Tiers.
Mira projected a blank pyramid-shaped graphic that was to be filled in as I spoke, the lowest section was highlighted. "Alright. There are a total of seven tiers, ranging from Pre-industrial all the way to what are termed World Builders. The lowest level is Tier Seven which, of course, is Pre-industrial. It is one of the most common and stable Tiers, with limited weaponry and environmental threats. Civilizations of this Tier tend to be small and scattered, driven by subsistence farming, foraging, or hunter-gathering needs. Technology is limited to simple handmade tools, weapons, or agrarian implements and methods, but a very broad understanding of planetary and solar mechanics is not uncommon."
The bottom section was labeled Pre-industrial and the section above it became highlighted. "The next Tier up from that is Tier Six: the Industrial age. Tier Six is the outset for massive urbanization. The species in question begins to group together in large towns or cities; technological progress is eventually a result. Agrarian species can remain stable in the Pre-industrial stage, but Tier Six population strain and mechanized food production invariably create political and economic pressures very few can balance; however, moving past this point usually promises advancement. Some species improve environmental and medical understanding concurrently with mechanical and transport advancement. Those that do not, are typically doomed to a grim fate."
"From about this Tier on, you begin to see many approaches towards the same goals, technologically-wise. This is called technological convergence. While it can be seen in pretty much any tier, it gets much easier to see from here on out as each race moves towards the same goals, more or less."
"The next Tier is the Fifth Tier, dubbed the Atomic Age. Tier Five species usually begin focusing on clean energy production. The occasional belligerent species will use atomic energy for weapons, often resulting in mass extinctions. In-atmosphere craft are a hallmark, often leading to manned space flight, albeit on a short-scale."
"The Fourth Tier is the Space Age. It is often the final resting place for species intelligent enough to break free from their world's surface only to fill the gulf surrounding it with war. Their comfort-focused technology can include medical advances."
"Tier Three is Space-faring. The species in this tier usually invent unique technologies for a host of applications. The species usually has had no outside influence."
"The Second Tier is Interstellar. The species has further perfected their chosen technologies." [Not much else to say for this one]
Finally, the tip of the graphic was about to be filled in. "And Tier One is known as World Builders. Thanks to their near total understanding of the universe, the species has the ability to manipulate gravitational forces, create life, and create worlds. The technologies they pursued before are now completely perfected."
"Now, there is a theoretical Tier beyond that – called Tier Zero – which is known as Transsentientance. It is suspected that species who attain this level can travel across galaxies – or even from one galaxy to another – and seed and accelerate the evolution of intelligent life."
"Now, to be fair, the system was created with the advancement of civilization and technology through the use of engineering, science, physics, and mathematics alone, no magic. This will only rank you on how your civilization has advanced with only those fields in mind." Levy didn't respond because she was busily writing all this down. Erza, however, asked, "So, if you are going to analyze the whole of Earthland using this method you outlined, what ranking would you give yourself … your people?" I thought on that for a second; it was a fair question. "I'd say we were somewhere between the third and second tiers, at least up to the point where I was pulled from my universe." My response impressed many of those present. "More on that later."
"So, if I were to rank your civilization, from what I can tell from my short time here on Earthland, you have quite a few towns and some urban centers with two to three story free-standing structures that are without the aid of magic … I think. I would place your civilization somewhere in the middle of tier six; from an engineering and technological standpoint, you should be in the midst of an industrial revolution. This would be around the turn of the nineteenth century, at least by my calendar. I am from around six centuries past that." I paused to take a breath, and to let that little fact settle in.
I called up an image of Earth, which took up most of the space above the table. "This is the planet Earth and Humanity's ancestral homeworld: from where Humanity arose and spread to the stars. Alright, everything up till this point has been a preamble; you guys asked about where I come from? Hold on to your seats, because I'm about to dive in." I called up a file labeled 'The history of Humanity' that Mira kindly compiled for me ahead of time. I've got the emitter array; you just fill them in. 'Ok. Here I go.' Mira began to display some holographic pictures and footage that was recovered from the Halo array.
"Ok, so here's a brief overview. Over one hundred and fifty thousand years prior to current events, Humanity had created a large, Tier One interstellar empire rivalling that of another ancient Tier One species known as the Forerunners in both size and technological achievement. Their empire encompassed much, if not the entirety of the Orion Arm of our galaxy and beyond, expanding outwards from Earth towards the edge of said galaxy. They were the first to encounter an extremely virulent and dangerous enemy, which evolved steadily and unnoticed on their worlds; it proved disastrous for their civilization as it forced them to sterilize many of their worlds. This induced a backpedaling effect; as Humanity fled from its infected worlds, they tried to resettle on other worlds until they too were contaminated. This apparently went on for quite a while and long periods of fighting and running from the enemy had left them weak and desperate. When they eventually found themselves orbiting a planet at the boundary of the Forerunner's empire, they discovered to their horror that the parasite had already made its way there. Given how fast the enemy was at spreading itself, there was no time to get the native Forerunners safely off-world. This forced their hands, and they sterilized the planet: parasite, Forerunners and all. The Forerunners at this time knew nothing of the parasite and interpreted this as an act of aggression and warred with the Humans and their allies. They were ultimately defeated after numerous failures against the technologically, tactically and numerically superior Forerunners. After their failure against the Forerunners, their civilization was regressed to a hunter-gatherer state, whereby they could not again threaten the Forerunner's primacy. This ancient Human empire had spanned over two hundred thousand worlds, and was a major power in the galaxy before their defeat. More on modern Humanity a little later."
As I paused for breath, I noticed that the room had grown quiet as the grave; I took a quick look around to see some mouths open in awe, others in a mixture of pity and horror. Macao looked over to me, rolling the pads of his fingers together with his elbows on the table in thought, "The adjectives you pick to describe your enemy, the one so dangerous this powerful ancient star-faring empire was forced to … wipe-out entire worlds … 'virulent', 'parasitic', 'contaminant' … exactly what are they?" I nodded to the fire mage. "All of the above. Collectively, they were known as the Flood." I paused for a second before saying, "Those of you with weak constitutions or are squeamish may want to leave the room for a minute." I waited a moment, and when no one got up to leave I continued. Very well; I tried to cushion the blow.
Mira put up a few of the "tamer" video files of combat featuring a few of the Flood forms. "Insidious in design, malicious in intent, and ultimately unknown in origin, the Flood is a parasitic and infectious species and is the most serious threat my galaxy has ever known, bar none. However, the Flood was more than a simple parasite. To know that story, we need to go father back in history still. Records say that untold millennia ago, before the Flood was even a whispered rumor, when the galaxy was dominated by the two races I mentioned – the Forerunners and ancient Humanity – the Humans and an allied race called San 'Shyuum, found strange, derelict ships near the edges of the galaxy. On these ships were vials of a strange desiccated powder, the origins and purpose of which were unknown. Initial studies showed the powder to be inert, but it also had a psychotropic effect on a favored pet the species shared. When small dosages of the substance were administered to these pets – known as Pheru – it resulted in more docile behaviors. However, unknown to them at the time, the powder was altering the Pheru on a genetic level. As the centuries passed, Pheru exposed to the powder began to develop furry or fleshy growths, which other Pheru were compelled to eat. Other genetic deformities became widespread among the species, and the "disease" soon passed from Pheru to Human and San 'Shyuum. Gruesomely, infected individuals were compelled to consume infected Pheru, and soon after, uninfected Humans and San 'Shyuum alike. The powder – spores, really – targeted sentient species, completely taking them over mind and body … mutating them into creatures capable of directly infecting others. Using the knowledge gained from its victims, the infection began to quickly spread to other victims, planets, and systems like a cancer; this earned them the name 'the Flood'." I watched as some of them went slack-jawed in horror. I winced in sympathy, "I apologize; I wish there was a better way to put it … to sugarcoat it, I guess. But there isn't. There is only the truth."
"Anyway, as more systems fell like dominoes, the Flood's behavior began to change. Now, the victims were being altered to specific ends; they were shaped into new forms for combat, infection, and the gathering of vital biomass and resources. As the Flood spread, the Humanity-San 'Shyuum alliance ran, eventually finding themselves at the boundary of the Forerunner empire. They began a campaign of destruction, razing any planet that showed the slightest sign of Flood infection; a single Flood spore posed a danger high enough to warrant the destruction of entire worlds, even whole star systems due to its very existence. You see, the Flood consumed its prey with such speed and ferocity that entire worlds and civilizations were brought to ruin in mere days. If the parasite could not be contained, it would ultimately lead to the transformation of all sentient life into the Flood."
"Although the alliance fought bravely for years, the Flood's spread seemed unstoppable, and desperate attempts to contain the outbreak were spearheaded. It was reasoned that without sentient beings to infect, the Flood could not expand. So, the order was given to destroy neighboring inhabited Forerunner worlds as a firebreak strategy."
"The Forerunners, tragically, were completely unaware of the Alliance's struggle against the Flood; to them, the destruction of their worlds was an act of unprovoked atrocity and an affront to their principles. In response, they marshalled their enormous fleets together to put an end to what they saw as a rampage of two species. Leading the combined might of the Forerunner forces was the esteemed military commander Shadow-Of-Sundered-Star, known from here on out by the title of Didact." Mira then projected a striking image of a large, imposing figure in a cape and Forerunner armor standing before thousands of similarly armored Forerunner soldiers with massive ships flying overhead. Mira then showed an image of a majestic, slender, armored Forerunner woman in some kind of laboratory. "The Didact and his wife, known as First-Light-Weaves-Living-Song, aka the Librarian, would come to play key roles in the Forerunner's future engagements with Humanity, ultimately setting the stage for a far greater struggle."
"The protracted war lasted a millennium, and Humanity was eventually pushed back to their designated core world and the last of their strongholds: an ancient planet they called Charum Hakkor. The long planetary siege that followed exhausted what remained of the Alliance's military. Ultimately, it was plea bargain between the San 'Shyuum and the Forerunners that sealed the fate for ancient Humanity. In Humanity's hour of need, they agreed to subjugation and quarantine to their home system by the Forerunners; they betrayed their alliance with Humanity and allowed planetary security to be breached. Shortly thereafter, the Didact forced Humanity's surrender bringing an end to the brutal conflict. It was only after the war ended that the Forerunners learned of our struggle with the Flood. The Flood coincidentally – or perhaps not – vanished around the same time Humanity was forced to surrender by the Didact, leaving the Forerunners with grave questions."
"According to Forerunner records, even after the Didact and his warriors had thoroughly crushed the Human forces on Charum Hakkor, they wavered on whether to completely purge their enemies from the galaxy, especially given that most believed that the sudden departure of the Flood had somehow been caused by Humanity. Ultimately, in order to uphold their principles, the Forerunner Council sentenced Humanity to be devolved to a primitive state with little knowledge of their former glory and landlocked back onto their native world."
Lucy said, "You seem to have a lot of information on these Forerunners, can you tell us more of them?" Mira put up a large image of the Mantle's symbol and I continued, reading text that scrawled slowly on my HUD. "The Forerunner empire was known as the Ecumene, and at its peak was comprised of approximately three million habitable worlds. The Forerunners were a wise, highly intelligent, noble people who held a strong belief in justice and in peace. They believed in a philosophy known as the Mantle of Responsibility – otherwise known as the Mantle. Simply put, the Mantle is a belief that the most developed species was charged with the tending to all life in the galaxy; perhaps much like an older sibling takes care of their younger siblings while parents are away. This philosophy bridged the strata between an interstellar marshal plan and a benevolent stewardship; the Forerunners took responsibility for the protection, cultivation, guidance, and at times punishment of the species and planetary systems that laid within their domain."
"After the war with Humanity, the Forerunner citizenry – convinced that the Flood would return one day – insisted that preparations must be made if they didn't want to face the same peril as the Humans. A number of proposals were considered by the Forerunner leadership, but in the end the Council decided in favor of an incredibly powerful and destructive weapon system."
"During the early debates, the Didact advocated for the use of Shield Worlds: hundreds of unique and powerful fortresses of varying size and potential which would guard against the Flood. These Shield Worlds could be deployed to infected systems where they could begin surgically targeting the parasite while sheltering massive populations that had taken shelter within."
"However, the part of Forerunner society known as the rate of Builders, led by Faber-Of-Will-And-Might, also known as the Master Builder, offered an alternative. According to records that they had taken from us, they knew that the Flood was susceptible to a specific type of attack, which often forced it to recoil, even retreat. He proposed a weapon system built around taking advantage of that weakness. Ultimately, the Builders agreed to build the Didact's Shield Worlds while perfecting their designs for the weapon system they eventually took to calling Halo. Halo would be the sword, while the Didact's own fortresses would act as shields, even protecting against the destructive effects of Halo itself."
Mira projected an image of a massive installation. It was constructed as a massive disk with eight curved arms around it. It had a terrestrial-like surface comprising of continents and oceans. In the center of the disk was a hollow where a planetoid resided. It served as conservation facility, Lifeworker research station, Halo construction foundry and remote activation facility. "Built on a remote and unimaginably huge facility called the Ark, the Halo installations were designed as immense ringworlds that were around twenty thousand miles in diameter, and capable of supporting life on the interior of their massive bands. Each Halo could fire a linear widening burst of energy capable of killing all sentient life within its blast range. Though the Flood might have been able to survive in its base forms, it would no longer have any hosts to feed on and would perish from starvation, as planned."
"During the elaborate construction process of the first installations, it was realized that not only would the original rings be extremely difficult to transport due to their size, but their firing mechanism would not be nearly as effective as needed. With this in mind, the builders created a smaller Ark installation – the Lesser Ark – to design more efficient Halo rings about six thousand miles in diameter. The new Halo rings would be capable of firing a spherical pulse, offering a devastatingly wide area of effect."
"Meanwhile, the Librarian was busy making her own plans. She believed that if the Halo installations were ever to be fired, they could cause a galaxy-wide mass extinction. She therefore devised the plan known as the Conservation Measure: sample populations of species – such as DNA, embryos, even living specimens – would be preserved on the Ark and the Halos. Thusly sheltered from the blast, she ensured that sentient life would continue in the galaxy."
"With the fall of the Forerunner capital due to the Flood's machinations, and the status of the Shield Worlds unknown at the time, only one refuge remained to the majority of the Forerunners: The Greater Ark. As one of the two factories for the Halo installations, the Greater Ark was hidden far outside the galaxy's boarder and guarded by the last of the original rings. It was believed to be safe from the Flood; that belief proved to be untrue as the Flood ultimately brought low both installations. Along with much of the Forerunner population."
"According to sparse records, by that time, any Forerunners that had survived worked to distribute the seven now completed ringworlds making up the final Halo Array found around the galaxy. Then, from a citadel far outside the galaxy on the Lesser Ark, the array was activated. In one fateful moment the galaxy was rid of the Flood, at least for a time. In the decades that followed, the surviving Forerunners began to send specimens saved during the Conservation Measure back to their respective homeworlds, reseeding those places where they could now live free from the threat of the Flood. Some even hoped that the Librarian's efforts would allow us to rise to prominence once more, and become inheritors of all that the Forerunners had left behind, including the Mantle. Humanity would be given the status of Reclaimer."
"The surviving Forerunners left behind a small atonement for their crime against all life, and departed for places unknown on what they called the Great Journey. As time passed, the Forerunners were lost from history, slipping into distant memory and legend. Those species that had been saved by the Librarian's efforts would later begin to peruse science and technology on their own. The Halo rings remained hidden and dormant. The robotic, spherical caretakers of each installation, known as monitors, carefully safeguarded the immense installations and the dormant Flood specimens they held for research into a possible cure. They alone carried the burden of safeguarding the rings across the long expanses of time that would follow."
I sighed, "Now, with ancient Humanity, the Flood, the Halo Array, and the Forerunners out of the way, I can finally get to the meat of the matter, and on to much more recent happenings."
[It's a lot of information, I know. But, it forms a framework for what is to come. Hang in there, once story time is over, I'll get back to meat of the matter. ^_^]
